the Jewish community of Luxembourg in Esch-sur-Alzette

Who we are

Our synagogue warmly welcomes all Jews who wish to join our open and inclusive community.

Our members include:

• traditional Jews residing locally in Esch-sur-Alzette and their families • liberal-minded Jews from across the grand region of Luxembourg • mixed-faith couples, where both the Jewish and non-Jewish partner are welcome • ex-pats and international Jews who appreciate our anglophone/francophone environment • religious and secular Jews, atheists, agnostics and believers • Ashkenazim and Sephardim, Jews from Israel, Brazil and Argentina, the US and the FSU, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK

Our challenge is to create an exciting and dynamic Jewish community, celebrating the reality and the diversity of modern Jewish life in Luxembourg.

our story so far...

Our community was founded in the late nineteenth century. The first synagogue in Esch-sur-Alzette was completed in 1899, and for forty years the community flourished. Unfortunately the synagogue was destroyed during the Second World War. Today its remnants can be seen in Place de la Synagogue, just up the street from our current building. Like throughout Occupied Europe, many members of our community were deported and killed by the Nazis, and their names are recorded on a monument erected on the site of the old synagogue.
In 1954 the current synagogue was constructed on Rue du Canal. Its structure recalls its predecessor, and its stained-glass windows are a striking feature of its design, especially in sunlight. Since the war the community has been led by several ministers, the last of whom, Victor Portal, retired in 2008.
That same year the community, led by its pioneering President, Robi Wolf, decided to take on a new direction. They appointed a liberal rabbi from England, Nathan Alfred, and began to create an open and inclusive community for Jews throughout Luxembourg and its environs.